Fire of unknown origin consumes historic Saxon Mill

Saturday

Dec 8, 2012 at 11:29 PM

About 100 firefighters from 12 Spartanburg County departments are battling a blaze at the vacant Saxon Mill.

By Jenny Arnoldjennifer.arnold@shj.com

About 100 firefighters from 12 Spartanburg County departments are battling a blaze at the vacant Saxon Mill.Spartanburg County Emergency Management Coordinator Doug Bryson said the fire, which was still raging close to 1 a.m. Sunday was called in about 9:50 p.m. Saturday. No cause has been determined.Firefighters were making an aerial attack on the blaze, Bryson said, because going inside the building was too dangerous for the time being."Right now, they're just trying to contain it, trying to keep it from spreading to other structures," Bryson said. "It's cooled off. The rain is helping us some. The wood floors, soaked with oil, with 100 years of textile dust - those are always an issue with these mill fires."No homes in the mill village were in immediate danger, Bryson said. No hazardous materials were inside the building.At two separate staging areas, auxiliary and fire board members provided cool drinks and coffee for firefighters rotating in and out of service."That's why we've got this manpower here," Bryson said. "With all that gear and equipment they carry, the firefighters get tired very quickly. They're going to be here for a day or two, I'm sure."About 1 a.m., Bryson said personnel would soon be refueling the engines and other responding vehicles so firefighting could continue battling the flames into the morning.The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office, Spartanburg Water and Department of Transportation also responded to assist. SCDOT set up barricades and the Highway Patrol and sheriff's office provided traffic control.An orange glow shone through window frames along one side of the building, as smoke billowed into the air. Residents drove around the streets of the mill village, trying to get a look at the burning structure, which Bryson said was 100 years old."They're (textile mills) are part of the heritage, the culture here, for sure," he said, watching the fire from a staging area off Sibley Street.In June 2009, a fire broke out in the air conditioner units on the roof of the old mill, but no structural damage resulted.Saxon Mill was founded in 1900 by John Adger Law. Law was born in Spartanburg and graduated from Wofford College in 1887. The main building was built in 1906.

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